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The House Oversight Committee has received its first set of documents from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender. Among the documents is the so-called "birthday book," a collection of letters gifted to Epstein for his 50th birthday. One note in the book reportedly bears the name of President Donald Trump.
Democratic members of the committee shared an image of the page with Trump's name on X. President Trump has consistently denied writing the letter and has filed a lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the note. The lawsuit accuses the publication of defamation.
The White House has stated that the signature on the note is not Trump's. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich posted several images of Trump's signature on X, emphasizing that the signature in the birthday book does not match. "Time for @newscorp to open that checkbook, it's not his signature. DEFAMATION!" Budowich wrote.
The Wall Street Journal maintains confidence in the accuracy of its reporting.
Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's accomplice, allegedly created the birthday book in 2003, including submissions from various acquaintances of Epstein.
President Trump and Epstein were once friends but reportedly fell out in the early 2000s. Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges.